The Akatsuki are a shinobi organization whose purpose changes dramatically over the course of Naruto. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan first form the group to bring peace to their war-torn home, the Hidden Rain. The Akatsuki familiar from Naruto Shippuden is a different force: under Pain/Nagato’s leadership and with Obito working behind the scenes, it pursues all nine Tailed Beasts. That transformation—from a local peace movement into a secretive organization that kidnaps jinchūriki—is central to understanding who the Akatsuki are.
What is the Akatsuki?
Akatsuki is a shinobi organization in Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto story. The name refers to groups from different stages of the story, not one unchanged team with the same leadership and purpose throughout. The original Akatsuki is founded in the Hidden Rain with a peace-making aim. The later organization is associated with S-rank criminals and a campaign to capture the Tailed Beasts.
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This distinction matters because the founding trio’s goal should not be confused with the later group’s methods. The Akatsuki’s history is a story of ideals being challenged, leadership changing, and the organization’s scale and objectives shifting. Its familiar Shippuden-era members may wear the same black cloaks marked with red clouds, but their presence in that later organization does not mean they all share one personal motive or know the same things.
Who founded the Akatsuki, and why?
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan form the original Akatsuki to bring peace to the Hidden Rain, their homeland. The official Naruto Shippuden episode summary for “Creeping Shadow” describes their founding dream as bringing peace to the Hidden Rain. The trio gains recognition and support, but their ideals are challenged when Obito, disguised as Madara Uchiha, warns them that those ideals will never be realized.
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The founders’ circumstances help explain why peace in the Hidden Rain is the starting point. The story introduces Akatsuki as a response to conflict at home, rather than as an organization created to collect the Tailed Beasts. Its early goal is local and political: end the suffering and instability affecting their homeland. That aim is the baseline against which the later Akatsuki’s actions should be measured.
In other words, the first Akatsuki is not simply a smaller version of the later one. The founders are trying to change the conditions around their own home, and their movement becomes known and supported before the story’s direction changes. The episode summary’s warning from Obito marks a pressure point in that history: the founders’ hopes are challenged, and the group’s later identity must be understood in light of that change. It is a tragic transformation, not proof that the original trio founded the organization with the later campaign in mind.
How does Akatsuki change?
The original movement’s purpose and the later organization’s campaign are separate phases of the story. Over time, the group’s leadership and methods shift. The later Akatsuki becomes a secretive organization that targets jinchūriki—the people who host Tailed Beasts—and seeks to capture all nine beasts. The official franchise overview presents the capture campaign as the organization’s objective and Gaara’s kidnapping as the immediate crisis that brings Naruto into the conflict.
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| Phase | Leadership and focus | Stated aim or activity | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founding Akatsuki | Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan | Bring peace to the Hidden Rain | A movement rooted in the founders’ homeland |
| Familiar Shippuden-era Akatsuki | Pain/Nagato leads; Obito acts behind the scenes | Capture all nine Tailed Beasts; the campaign includes kidnapping jinchūriki | A wider operation reaching beyond the Hidden Rain |
This change is tragic because it reverses the founders’ starting point: a group formed around peace becomes known for a campaign that brings danger to the people it targets. The story does not reduce every member’s motive to one shared belief, however. Leadership, loyalties, and what individual members know vary, so “Akatsuki’s goal” is most precisely used for the later organization’s stated Tailed Beast campaign—not as a complete description of every member’s personal reasons for joining.
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The comparison is useful on four levels. The founders’ leadership is Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan; the familiar later leadership is associated with Pain/Nagato, while Obito influences events behind the scenes. The early stated goal is peace in one homeland; the later organization’s objective is to capture all nine Tailed Beasts. The founders’ movement is rooted in the Hidden Rain, while the later campaign reaches beyond it. Finally, the methods change: the later effort involves targeting jinchūriki, including the kidnapping of Gaara. These contrasts explain why one short label can refer to groups with sharply different aims.
What was the later Akatsuki trying to do with the Tailed Beasts?
The clearest supported description of the later organization’s objective is that it set out to capture all nine Tailed Beasts. Because those beasts are hosted by jinchūriki, the campaign leads to attacks and kidnappings of their hosts. The official Naruto Shippuden overview uses Gaara’s kidnapping to establish the immediate threat and set the story in motion for Naruto and his allies.
That is the useful short answer to “Why did Akatsuki collect the Tailed Beasts?”: collecting them was the organization’s campaign, and capturing their hosts was part of carrying it out. A single explanation should not be projected onto every Akatsuki member. The story includes different leaders, partners, loyalties, and levels of knowledge; the official summaries establish the organization’s objective, but do not provide a comprehensive account of every member’s private motivation.
For a reader meeting the group through the anime, Gaara’s kidnapping is the clearest immediate entry point into the threat: it shows that Akatsuki’s objective is not just an abstract plan, but a campaign that affects a specific host and pulls Naruto into the conflict. That framing also helps keep the explanation precise. The campaign concerns all nine beasts; Gaara’s kidnapping is the opening crisis highlighted in the franchise overview, not a complete account of every operation or every member’s motive.
Who are the familiar Akatsuki members?
The best-known lineup is the later Shippuden organization, not a complete roster for every period in Akatsuki’s history. Pain is the name associated with Nagato’s leadership; Konan is also central to that leadership. Obito, operating behind the scenes and at one point disguised as Madara Uchiha, is important to the organization’s later direction. Its widely recognized members are often remembered through their partner pairings:
- Pain (Nagato) and Konan: central figures in the later organization. Nagato is associated with its Pain identity and leadership.
- Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki: one of the familiar partner pairs in the Shippuden-era lineup.
- Deidara and Sasori: another recognizable pair. The official Sasori profile describes him as joining Akatsuki, an organization of S-rank criminals.
- Hidan and Kakuzu: a partner team among the familiar members.
- Zetsu: a member closely associated with the organization.
- Tobi/Obito: a major figure in the later direction of Akatsuki; Obito also appears in the founders’ history under the disguise of Madara Uchiha.
Yahiko belongs in an account of Akatsuki’s origins, not as a member of the familiar later lineup. The founding trio is Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan; later references to Pain point to Nagato. Keeping those identities and periods distinct avoids making the founding movement seem identical to the criminal organization it becomes.
This is an orientation to the central, familiar members, not an exhaustive, chronological membership record. Akatsuki changes over time, and the official franchise pages identify several prominent members without supplying one complete roster for every era. An official Naruto site Banpresto article about a 2025 figure lineup likewise names a selection—Pain, Kakuzu, Kisame, Zetsu, Deidara, Sasori, Itachi, Hidan, Tobi, and Konan—not a definitive historical roster. That lineup is a product selection, so it should not be treated as a complete list of everyone who belonged to Akatsuki or as evidence that membership stayed fixed.
Where does Akatsuki fit in Naruto’s story?
Akatsuki becomes a major force in Naruto Shippuden, where the campaign against the Tailed Beasts draws Naruto and his allies into a larger conflict. The official franchise overview identifies Gaara’s kidnapping as the immediate crisis. Later, the official Naruto site describes volume 54 as covering chapters 505–514 and depicts Naruto and his allies battling Akatsuki. VIZ’s Shippuden release information also describes Akatsuki attempting to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
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Those points offer two useful entry markers without replacing the full story: Gaara’s kidnapping introduces the immediate danger of the organization’s campaign, while volume 54 is a later manga section in which Naruto and his allies are already battling Akatsuki. The franchise spans manga, anime, films, novels, and games; an official VIZ franchise page describes those adaptations. The details and presentation can differ by medium, so a manga volume reference and an anime episode summary are not interchangeable reading or viewing instructions.
For readers who want the manga context, the official Naruto site’s listing places volume 54 at chapters 505–514. That gives a concrete reference point for a later stretch of the conflict, rather than a claim that those chapters are the organization’s introduction. For readers following the anime, the “Creeping Shadow” episode summary supplies a concise account of the founders’ origin and Obito’s warning. Together, those references illustrate the story’s two sides: the organization’s founding history and the later battles against it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What official Naruto books and products relate to Akatsuki?
For reference material, Shueisha lists NARUTO [Hiden: Jin no Sho] Character Official Data Book, authored by Masashi Kishimoto. Its publication date is November 4, 2014; the listed edition is 392 pages and carries ISBN 978-4-08-880263-3. It is a directly relevant physical book for readers seeking official character material, though buyers should check the language and edition in a retailer listing before ordering.
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Naruto manga volumes are another direct way to follow the story. The official Naruto site provides volume and chapter information, including the volume 54 reference above, while VIZ lists the franchise’s manga and anime releases. The Naruto site also documented a Banpresto Akatsuki figure lineup in 2025, with figures for several familiar members. That page establishes that the lineup was announced; it does not guarantee current stock. Check retailers for availability, edition, region, and price. Product references do not establish current affiliate links or commission terms.
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What to remember about the Akatsuki
- The original Akatsuki is founded by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to seek peace for the Hidden Rain.
- The later organization is associated with Pain/Nagato’s leadership and Obito’s behind-the-scenes influence.
- Its clearest stated campaign is to capture all nine Tailed Beasts, including through the targeting of jinchūriki.
- The familiar lineup includes Konan, Pain/Nagato, Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Tobi/Obito, but that is not a complete roster for every era.
- The founders’ original peace goal and the later organization’s actions are not the same thing—and individual members do not necessarily share identical motives.
- Gaara’s kidnapping is the immediate crisis highlighted in the official franchise overview; it is a useful marker for the later campaign’s impact on Naruto and his allies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded the Akatsuki?
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan formed the original Akatsuki. Their stated dream was to bring peace to the Hidden Rain.
What is the Akatsuki’s goal in Naruto?
The founders’ goal was peace for the Hidden Rain. The later Shippuden-era organization set out to capture all nine Tailed Beasts, targeting their jinchūriki as part of that campaign.
Are Yahiko and Pain the same person?
No. Yahiko is one of the founders. Pain is the identity associated with Nagato’s leadership in the later organization.
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The familiar Shippuden-era lineup includes Pain/Nagato, Konan, Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Tobi/Obito. This is an orientation to prominent members, not a complete roster across every era.
Where can I find official Naruto material about Akatsuki?
The official Naruto site lists manga volumes and chapters, including volume 54 (chapters 505–514), while VIZ lists Naruto manga and anime releases. Shueisha’s character data book is another official reference; check a retailer for edition, language, and current availability.
The Bottom Line
Akatsuki begins as Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan’s peace movement in the Hidden Rain, then changes into the Shippuden-era organization pursuing all nine Tailed Beasts. Keeping those phases—and the members’ differing motives—separate is the key to understanding the group.
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